She didn’t dare call for help now, after all, the two of them were still pressed tightly together at this moment—especially with this lecher’s right hand still covering her lower abdomen. Her body was bent forward, so her back was pressed right up against him. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t experienced this thing before; the two of them were now in an utterly shameful position. She could even clearly feel the changes in that thing. If anyone saw them like this, she’d probably have no choice but to throw herself down a well.

However, just then, Brian Carter froze, lowering his head to look at the hairpin in his mouth.

It was a jade hairpin.

There were words engraved on it.

A small character: 沅.

This thing wasn’t cheap—only the very wealthy could afford it. And just now, that maid had called her “sister” instead of “madam,” so at most she could only be a concubine, but a very favored one. And she wasn’t of proper birth. In this era, a woman of proper birth suddenly suffering such an assault could never remain so calm. Though she was indeed flustered, it wasn’t the panic of someone completely inexperienced. Plus, there was her accent...

Brian Carter took a deep breath.

“Are you Emily Brooks?”

He asked tentatively.

“No.”

The beauty replied somewhat flustered.

Brian Carter straightforwardly placed his hand on the sash at her chest, then made a motion as if to untie it, smiling at her.

“Sir, please leave quickly! This is the Wu family’s villa. If the maid can’t find me, she’ll definitely go to the front, and soon the house guards will be here. They’ve all followed the master into battle and killed bandits before. By then, you won’t be able to escape even if you want to. I am just a weak woman, a withered flower lucky to have found a good home, only wishing for peace. Please, sir, have mercy and let me go!”

The beauty pleaded tearfully.

“Are you really Emily Brooks?”

Brian Carter said.

“I am Sarah Brooks, courtesy name 圆圆...”

The beauty said softly.

The next moment, she suddenly fainted in Brian Carter’s arms, and was immediately hoisted onto his shoulder...

Chapter 7: 圆圆, let’s elope!

Emily Brooks!

Six armies wept in mourning, and a crown was thrown in anger for a beauty!

Of course, that was just Wu Weiye’s way of whitewashing the Prince of Pingxi. After all, nothing stirs up men’s righteous indignation and women’s pity more than this kind of thing. You can’t say the Prince of Pingxi was a traitor—he was just too deeply in love. What man could stand by while his woman was taken? It wasn’t that he lacked integrity, he was just too impulsive.

The one at fault was Li Zicheng.

And so Li Zicheng became a despicable villain who stole love at swordpoint.

How could a wife be involved in matters of state? Even heroes are helpless in the face of love. See, the Prince of Pingxi was a hero, and if even he could be whitewashed, then those Donglin Party members didn’t even need to bother—they weren’t blackened to begin with, so what’s there to wash? Wu Weiye, in his pride, expressed deep regret for the fall of the Ming, but ultimately, it had nothing to do with them. It was Chongzhen’s incompetence, the rebel’s refusal to die quietly, and their penchant for stealing women. The Prince of Pingxi was too impulsive, and all of this together led to the fall of the empire. In any case, the Jiangzuo scholarly elite—including myself, the Left Assistant of the Ming Nanjing Imperial Academy and later the Chief of the Qing Imperial Academy—bear no responsibility.

In the end, it was all ruined by a woman.

See, the reason is simple. It wasn’t natural disasters, nor was it the gentry sucking the people dry, nor corrupt officials flaying the people alive. None of those were the main cause. The main reason was a woman—just like Daji, Baosi, and the rest. It was always women who brought down empires.

As the saying goes, “A beauty is a curse to the nation!”

Since that’s the case, let’s not let the Prince of Pingxi be troubled by love any longer.

Brian Carter carried Emily Brooks and immediately climbed over the courtyard wall. Just as he landed, he heard the sound of chaotic footsteps from inside. He didn’t dare linger, and darted at top speed into a patch of woods, then quickly slipped into another mansion not far away, silently hiding in a small storage room.

“Open your eyes, I know you’re awake!”

He patted Emily Brooks’s pretty face and said.

She opened her eyes and glared at him with hatred.

“You lecher, you’ve ruined me!”

She said through gritted teeth.

“Didn’t they say Wu Sangui dotes on you? You could just scream for help—maybe you’d be back at his side in no time.”

Brian Carter said with a smile.

Emily Brooks continued to glare at him with hatred, but in the end, she didn’t dare to really call out. After all, even if she did manage to bring people here, this lecher would have more than enough time to kill her before they arrived.

Besides, who knows what would happen to her if she went back to the Wu family!

To put it bluntly, she was just a plaything. So what if she was one of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai? A high-class courtesan is still a courtesan. She had no real status in the Wu household—not even a concubine, just a songstress. As for all that talk about having a husband who was a prince or marquis, that was all just boasting. Wu Sangui bought her for a thousand gold, and even then, she was secondhand. Tian Hongyu was the first owner; someone else paid eight hundred gold to present her to Tian Hongyu, and after Tian Hongyu died, she was bought by Wu Sangui for a thousand gold. In the end, she was just a female slave. What right did she have to call anyone her husband? The Wu family couldn’t afford that kind of embarrassment. Wu Sangui would be laughed to death. At this point, Wu Sangui’s wives and concubines all hated her and were probably plotting to kill her! Otherwise, why would she be kept in a separate villa instead of the main Wu residence?

If she went back now, it would be a miracle if Wu Sangui’s wives and concubines didn’t torment her to death!

“What exactly do you want?”